Shattered Sky/Chapter 2
Chapter Summary Alderheart's PoV :The sun dips behind the trees at the top of the hollow as Alderheart lays the last piece of cobweb on Birchfall's shoulder. He reassures the warrior that it will heal well and asks him if he wants a poppy seed for the pain. Leafpool turns around from tucking fresh moss beside Twigpaw and says that they need the seeds for more serious injuries. :Birchfall says that his wound doesn't hurt that much, and thanks Alderheart before brushing past the bramble screen and heading out to camp. Alderheart then joins Leafpool beside Twigpaw, who is dozing uncomfortably in her nest. She lets out occasional murmurs of pain. Alderheart confesses he worries about Twigpaw since her leg is twisted badly. Leafpool responds that she could have broken it instead and that the stick he and Jayfeather bound onto it will give her leg support. :She adds Twigpaw will have to stay off it until it gets better. Alderheart gloomily says that will take a few days. Concern washes over him about Twigpaw's other injuries, like the long scratches on her face and sides that have been treated with marigold to prevent infection, but what worries Alderheart the most is the heartbroken expression on Twigpaw's face before the poppy seeds helped her fall asleep. He remembers her anguish when she told him about how Violetpaw attacked her. :Alderheart knows how terrible it would feel if Sparkpelt attacked him. He muses about how Twigpaw has no other kin besides Violetpaw, and he will do his best to protect her. Alderheart's thoughts are interrupted by Bramblestar, who announces they are getting ready to leave for the Gathering and he wants at least one medicine cat to come before withdrawing from the den without waiting for a reply. :Leafpool immediately suggests that Alderheart and Jayfeather go, before calling the blind tom and asking him if he wants to go to the Gathering. The gray tabby tom emerges from the cleft at the back of the medicine den and says he will as long as he knows if Leafpool can cope by herself. She reminds him tartly that she was coping before he was kitted and that she will check on the injured warriors and keep an eye on Blossomfall, as her kits are due any day from now. :Jayfeather agrees and turns to Alderheart, saying that they will go and see if Onestar has any excuse for what he did during the battle. The sun is gone and twilight fills the stone hollow as Alderheart follows Jayfeather to the clearing. The other cats who were assigned to go to the Gathering are also starting to emerge from their dens as well. As Alderheart looks at the cats, he realizes that ThunderClan really is a battered group. :Alderheart spots the Clan's elders making their way over to Bramblestar, but Purdy breaks off from the group and pads over to Alderheart. He confides in a low voice that he has a bit of a bellyache, and he asks if he can have chervil or a juniper berry before they leave for the Gathering. Alderheart says he should go see Leafpool, since she is staying behind to keep and eye on the injured warriors and Blossomfall. Purdy insists he'll be fine, and that he'll skip the Gathering to sleep it off. :The patrol leaves and the cats walk towards the Gathering island. Alderheart reflects on all that's happened this moon, especially in regard to Mistystar's serious injury from the battle with the rogues. The ThunderClan cats, though exhausted, raise their heads proudly as they cross the tree branch. They see that RiverClan has already arrived, and gasps at how weak they look. WindClan enters and are met with uneasy murmurs, since they'd abandoned the other Clans to fight the rogues alone, and only have a few scratches. :The leaders hop into Great Oak and start the meeting. Mistystar confronts Onestar, noting how much her Clan suffered from his retreat during the battle. She snaps that she just might close RiverClan's borders, but Bramblestar hastily insists that there's no need for that. Onestar defensively insists that he had his reasons for retreating, and doesn't have to explain. When Rowanstar calls him a coward, Onestar tries to steer the conversation away from himself by saying that Darktail being at the lake is Rowanstar's fault because he didn't drive him away. Mistystar meows that they've waited too long to drive out the rogues, when they're what needs to leave to clear the sky. The clearing bursts into arguments, and StarClan covers the moon with clouds, ending the Gathering. :The Clans quickly disperse, heading back to their own territories. On the way back to camp, Alderheart convinces Bramblestar that they need to tell everyone about SkyClan, as it's what the prophecy is really about. The leader announces it later that day, and every cat stays up late asking questions about it. Rowanstar comments that Needletail never mentioned her visit to SkyClan, but Alderheart reassures she only kept it secret because he asked. :Bramblestar leads a patrol and tells RiverClan the news as well, and Mistystar is curious, but doesn't think they can do anything. They travel to WindClan next, but are greeted with hostility by Crowfeather. Bramblestar insists they're here about a medicine cat vision, so Gorsetail agrees to escort them to camp. Once there, Onestar irritably asks what they're here for. :Bramblestar explains about SkyClan, and Alderheart tells the leader about his visions. He says that the Clan was driven out by Darktail and his cats by the time of his quest. This enrages Onestar, and he screeches at them to get off his territory, saying WindClan owes nothing to anyone. The ThunderClan cats are stunned at the outburst and allow themselves to be herded to the border. Alderheart remembers the emotions flickering across Onestar's face, and knows he's definitely hiding something. Characters Major }} Minor *Leafpool *Twigpaw *Briarlight *Bramblestar *Jayfeather *Sparkpelt *Squirrelflight *Lionblaze *Dovewing *Molewhisker *Cherryfall *Graystripe *Millie *Onestar *Purdy *Rowanstar *Tawnypelt *Tigerheart *Mistystar *Mothwing *Willowshine *Duskfur *Mintfur *Reedwhisker *Kestrelflight *Mallownose *Mosspelt *Crowfeather *Larkwing *Emberfoot *Smokepaw *Gorsetail *Oatclaw *Featherpelt *Onestar }} Mentioned *Blossomfall *Perchwing *Needletail *Firestar *Darktail }} Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:Shattered Sky Category:A Vision of Shadows arc